The present invention relates to a game apparatus that resembles a bowling game where a ball is used to roll across a surface and knock down targets that resemble bowling pins.
In the past, bowling style games have been made where some sort of device is used to shoot a ball across a surface referred to as a lane in order to knock down targets that resemble bowling pins. A player will usually line up the shooting device on the end of the lane opposite the bowling pins and then in some manner release the ball from the device. Once the ball leaves the shooting device, the ball cannot be maneuvered by the player. These games involve a single stationary lane where the bowling pins are set up at one end of the lane. Examples of this in prior art U.S. patents include the Livick U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,862 where a marble shooting device is used to shoot marbles across the lane and toward the bowling pins. In the Breslow et. al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,136 a ball propulsion device comprising an elastic band is used to shoot a ball across the lane. In the Maeda U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,598 a bowler figure with a spring arm is used for propelling a ball across the lane.
The present game relates to a new bowling style game where the ball can be maneuvered by the player as it is rolling across the lane and toward the targets. In this game, the lane is divided into two parts. One part of the lane remains stationary during game play and contains the targets that resemble bowling pins, and the other part of the lane can be rotated and/or lifted by the player. To make this possible, the two parts of the lane are connected to each other with a hinge in a way that allows one part of the lane to be rotated and/or lifted while the other part of the lane can remain stationary.